Background: Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites economic dependence on South Africa a severe drought and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development. The ruling party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989 and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992.

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S, 35 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 801,590 km²
Land: 784,090 km²
Water: 17,500 km²
Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,571 km
Border countries: (6) Malawi 1,569 km; , South Africa 491 km; , Swaziland 105 km; , Tanzania 756 km; , Zambia 419 km; , Zimbabwe 1,231 km

Coastline: 2,470 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical to subtropical

Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas

Land use
Arable land: 4%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 56%
Forests and woodland: 18%
Other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,180 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: severe droughts and floods occur in central and southern provinces; devastating cyclones

Population: 19,124,335 (July 1999 est.)
Note: the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,542,800; other estimates range as low as 16.9 million
Growth rate: 2.54% (1999 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Mozambican(s)
Adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Age structure
0-14 years: 45% (male 4,236,545; female 4,325,586)
15-64 years: 53% (male 4,941,048; female 5,181,282)
65 years and over: 2% (male 182,857; female 257,017) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.54% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 42.75 births/1000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 17.31 deaths/1000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1999 est.)

Environment
Current issues: a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 117.56 deaths/1000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 45.89 years
Male: 44.73 years
Female: 47.09 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.88 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 40.1%
Male: 57.7%
Female: 23.3% (1995 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique
Conventional short form: Mozambique
Local long form: Republica de Mocambique
Local short form: Mocambique

Government type: republic

Capital: Maputo

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias, singular_provincia; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Independence: 25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

Constitution: 30 November 1990

Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since 6 November 1986); note_before being popularly elected, CHISSANO was elected president by Frelimo's Central Committee 4 November 1986 (reelected by the Committee 30 July 1989)
Head of government: Prime Minister Pascoal MOCUMBI (since NA December 1994)
Cabinet: Cabinet
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 27 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO elected president; percent of vote_Joaquim CHISSANO 53.3%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 33.3%

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 27-29 October 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999)
Election results: percent of vote by party_Frelimo 44.33%, Renamo 33.78%, DU 5.15%, other 16.74%; seats by party_Frelimo 129, Renamo 112, DU 9

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president and judges elected by the Assembly

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Marcos Geraldo NAMASHULUA
In the us chancery: Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 293-7,146
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Bryan Dean CURRAN
From the us embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo
From the us telephone: [258] (1) 492,797
From the us FAX: [258] (1) 490,114

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book

Economy overview: Before the peace accord of October 1992, Mozambique's economy was devastated by a protracted civil war and socialist mismanagement. In 1994, it ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Since then, Mozambique has undertaken a series of economic reforms. Almost all aspects of the economy have been liberalized to some extent. More than 900 state enterprises have been privatized. Pending are tax and much needed commercial code reform, as well as greater private sector involvement in the transportation, telecommunications, and energy sectors. Since 1996, inflation has been low and foreign exchange rates stable. Albeit from a small base, Mozambique achieved one of the highest growth rates in the world in 1997-98. Still, the country depends on foreign assistance to balance the budget and to pay for a trade imbalance in which imports outnumber exports by three to one. The medium-term outlook for the country looks bright, as trade and transportation links to South Africa and the rest of the region are expected to improve and sizable foreign investments materialize. Among these investments are metal production (aluminum, steel), natural gas, power generation, agriculture (cotton, sugar), fishing, timber, and transportation services. Additional exports in these areas should bring in needed foreign exchange.

Real gdp growth rate: 11% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $900 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 35%
Industry: 13%
Services: 52% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, rice, tropical fruits; beef, poultry

Industries: food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate: 39% (1997)

Labor force: NA
By occupation agriculture: 80%
By occupation industry: 9.5%
By occupation services: 5.5%
By occupation wageearnersworkingabroad: 5% (1993est)

Unemployment rate: NA

Population below poverty line: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $402 million
Expenditures: $799 million, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1997 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Exports: $295 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: shrimp 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, copra, citrus (1997)
Partners: Spain 17%, South Africa 16%, Portugal 12%, US 10%, Japan, Malawi, India, Zimbabwe (1996 est.)

Imports: $965 million (c.i.f., 1998 est.)
Commodities: food, clothing, farm equipment, petroleum (1997)
Partners: South Africa 55%, Zimbabwe 7%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Portugal 4%, US, Japan, India (1996 est.)

Debt external: $5.7 billion (December 1997)

Exchange rates: meticais (Mt) per US$1_12,394.0 (January 1999), 11,874.6 (1998), 11.543.6 (1997), 11,293.8 (1996), 9,024.3 (1995), 6,038.6 (1994)

Electricity
Production: 426 million kWh (1997)
Production by source: NA%
Consumption: 1.11 billion kWh (1997)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 685.6 million kWh (1997)

Telephones: 70,000 (1998 est.)

Telephone system: fair system of tropospheric scatter, open-wire lines, and microwave radio relay
Domestic: microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter
International: satellite earth stations_5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $72 million (FY97)
Percent of gdp: 4.7% (1997)

Airports: 174 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 22
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 10
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 4 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 152
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 39
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 96 (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 306 km; petroleum products 289 km
Note: not operating

Railways
Total: 3,131 km
Narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Waterways: about 3,750 km of navigable routes

Merchant marine: total:3 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT (1998 est.)

Disputes international: none

Illicit drugs: Southern African transit hub for South American cocaine probably destined for the European and US markets; producer of hashish and methaqualone